Money

Recorded in summer 1959 at Motown’s Hitsville USA studio at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, with Barrett Strong on vocal and piano, Berry Gordy at the piano, Janie Bradford contributing lyrics, and session players including Benny Benjamin, Eugene Grew, and Brian Holland. It was among the first tracks cut at the new Motown studio. The single was Tamla’s breakthrough release and Motown’s first major hit, turning a local Detroit recording into a national crossover record. Its success established the label’s commercial model and gave the young company its first signature song. The song became a standard, later recorded by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kingsmen, and many others. It remains one of the most recognizable early Motown records and a foundational track in the label’s history.